City Council approves traffic improvement project, popular event and recognizes outstanding athletes

The City Council on Tuesday approved a traffic improvement project, popular festival and recognized outstanding athletes.

The Council voted unanimously to award an agreement for the Marguerite Parkway traffic signal synchronization project. Traffic signal synchronization offers benefits such as reduced travel times, decreased fuel consumption, and lower pollutant emissions by allowing large groups of vehicles to pass through multiple intersections with fewer stops.

In the presentation portion of the evening, the Council recognized athletes of the Mission Viejo Nadadores Swim and Dive teams for their recent achievements at several national and world championships and other noteworthy competitions.

On the heels of this week's announcement about the Olympic diving teams that will be training in Mission Viejo, the Council received an update about the City's sports tourism efforts and the wonderful impacts in the community.

Since the public responded so strongly to this summer's inaugural BBQ Music Fest, the Council unanimously voted to award an agreement to host the event for the next two years. The popular festival generated roughly $25,000 in revenue that benefited the City's sports tourism efforts, the Marine Adoption Committee and the Newhart Middle School PTA.

Following the Request for Qualifications that the City issued in August regarding the former Stein Mart building on Marguerite Parkway, City Manager Elaine Lister announced that the City received five responses and is currently evaluating.

The City Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Meetings are streamed live on the City's website and air on Cox Channel 30 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99. Residents are encouraged to sign up for the City's eNewsletter and follow the City's official social media sites for the most accurate, up-to-date information.